Sun & Moon: New Alola Form Pokémon Revealed!

A brand new trailer was released yesterday, revealing a slew of new features and Pokémon. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises is the inclusion of Alola Form Pokémon – alternate versions of older Pokémon found exclusively on the isles of the Alola region!

Watch the newest English trailer down below here:

With the likes of a Grass/Dragon-type Exeggutor and an Ice/Fairy-type Nintetales, there’s plenty of surprises in store for those who’ve played previous Pokémon games in the past. Let’s go over all these new Alolan Pokémon, as well as the new Pokémon revealed in the latest trailer!

The environment of the Alola region, where strong sunlight pours down all year round, brought about this change in Exeggutor’s form. The people of Alola boast that the Alolan Exeggutor is the true form of Exeggutor.

Unlike other Exeggutor, the Alolan Exeggutor has a fourth head—on its tail! This fourth head controls the tail independently and can take on opponents to the rear that can’t be reached by the main heads’ attacks.

This Pokémon excels at whipping its long neck like a lash to attack with its hard heads. But that neck can sometimes become a weakness…

This strange new variation of Exeggutor is already turning heads on social media! Forgoing the Psychic-type in favour of the Dragon-type, the Alolan Exeggutor looks like a hilarious new way to enjoy this classic Pokémon.

Interestingly, as at least one Twitter user has pointed out, Alolan Exeggutor seems to have a closer relation to another real-world plant: the Madagascar Dragon Tree. Even more interesting is the fact that this isn’t the first time we’ve seen long-necked Exeggutor, either!

It is said that Vulpix came to the Alola region together with humans, but the Fox Pokémon moved to the snowy mountain peaks to avoid the normal habitats of other Pokémon, and thus it ended up taking on this form.

These Alolan Vulpix live on high mountains that remain covered in snow year-round. They live in small packs of two to five individuals, helping one another survive.

Alolan Vulpix can freeze anything solid by expelling breath at a temperature of −58 degrees Fahrenheit (−50° C) from its mouth. It doesn’t fare well in the heat, but when the temperature gets too high, it produces ice from its tail to lower the surrounding temperature.

In stark contrast from its original Fire-type variation, the Alolan Vuplix is a pure Ice-type! Living in the Alola region has transformed this Pokémon over time into a completely different type, completely with a brand new alternate evolution…

Alolan Ninetales live on a snowy peak that is revered in the Alola region as a holy mountain. They are treated as sacred emissaries, and people meet them with awe and fear. This Pokémon’s personality is extremely gentle, and at times it has helped humans who seem to be in distress. However, it shows no mercy at all to anyone or anything that dares to damage its territory!

The Alolan Ninetales is able to produce ice crystals from the fur that covers its body. It can use these ice crystals to block attacks, or it can form balls of ice with them, which it fires like bullets at opponents. The power of these ice missiles is great enough to pulverize rock!

Beautiful! The Alolan Ninetales looks as gorgeous as ever in its new Ice/Fairy-type form, a new Pokémon type combination that hasn’t been seen yet in the series. I can’t wait to see how this Pokémon performs in battle…but how will it evolve? I don’t think the Fire Stone will work with Alolan Vulpix, so maybe the Ice Rock is key to its evolution…

Sandshrew have historically lived in desert areas. But the frequent eruptions of nearby volcanoes drove the Sandshrew to abandon the desert and migrate to snowy mountains, where they took on this form.

Sandshrew’s body changed to adapt to the harsh environment of the snowy mountains. The Alolan Sandshrew has a shell of ice covering its skin, which is like hard steel. It excels defensively, but it lacks flexibility and can’t curl its body into a ball like a Ground-type Sandshrew can.

Its heavy weight makes the Alolan Sandshrew slower than a normal Sandshrew, but the claws on its hands and feet allow it to move across ice without slipping. When it wants to move quickly, it uses its stomach to slide across the ice like a curling rock.

Not to be outdone by the Alolan Vulpix line, the Alolan Sandshrew is another Alola Form Pokémon that has embraced the Ice-type. This variant of the classic Sandshrew also has a new type combination – the Ice/Steel-type! If you look at its animations in the trailer, it really does spin on its side like a curling rock!

The Alolan Sandshrew of the snowy mountains evolve into Alolan Sandslash with spiny backs that are covered in ice. Thanks to their icy coating, these spines are large and sharp. Alolan Sandslash hide themselves in the snow when strong enemies appear, leaving only their needles exposed and ready for business.

The weight of the ice that covers its body makes these Alolan Sandslash heavier than normal Sandslash, and this causes them to be slower. Yet in snow fields and on ice, they move by creating a path with their claws, and so they’re able to move with swiftness.

The sprays of snow kicked up by Alolan Sandslash’s movements are so beautiful that many photographers head for the snowy peaks to capture the moment. However, Sandslash live deep in the mountains, and there is great danger of becoming stranded, so it’s forbidden to climb the mountains without permission.

Naturally, the Alolan Sandslash is a fitting evolution of the newly-revealed Alolan Sandshrew. It’s interesting how the profiles here indicate that these Pokémon have a greater defense but are slower; could it be that these Pokémon have modified stats to go with their alternate new forms?

Finally, it looks as though the official Pokémon Sun & Moon site has hinted at another new Alola Form Pokémon. From the official page, have a closer look at bio for the newly-revealed Trial Captain, Kiawe:

Based one this description, it’s possible we’ll see a Fire-type Alola Form of Marowak! Only time will tell if this is the case!

As much as I embrace and enjoy seeing new Pokémon designs, I can’t help but be excited over seeing these new variations of older Pokémon! I look forward to giving these Alola Form Pokémon a spin when Sun & Moon comes out.